After weeks of being critiqued over their minimalist design, and even spending a week in the tent, it was Tamara and Rhys’ turn to have their home renovated.
This meant minimalism was finally permitted by the House Rules’ judges.
After tackling Tanya and Dave’s mammoth family home last week, the House Rules’ teams had no time to relax when they realised Tamara and Rhys’ Queensland home would take some serious work. At one point they were even forced to evacuate after the discovery of asbestos.
But, that still couldn’t stop them turning the rundown Queenslander into a modern, integrated home, peppered with jewel tones, for the couple who asked for “wow”.
While teams Kimmy and Rhi and Laith and George wowed with simple yet sophisticated designs that led to not one but two tie breakers, one team had a tragic fall from grace.
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Off the back of their win last week, Aimee and Kayne failed to keep the momentum going. A strange choice in occasional chair and poor craftsmanship in the study pulled the teams’ points down. Then there was the marble ceiling.
Mother-son duo Lenore and Bradley, meanwhile, divided judges with an unusual bathroom design, but won all three over with an art deco inspired bedroom complete with geometric feature wall.
After judges Kyly Clarke, Saul Myers and Laurence Llewelyn-Bowen gave their finale scores, it came down to the wire but Laith and George managed to win the $10,000 taking home first place for the week.
Scroll on to see the full before and after photos of Tanya and Dave’s home…
dining before
Tamara and Rhys’ mismatched dining set left a lot to the imagination pre-renovation.
dining
The judges were underwhelmed with George and Laith’s dining room design. While there was nothing overwhelmingly wrong, there also wasn’t a “wow” factor.
porch
Every Queensland home needs a tranquil outdoor space, so that’s exactly what Laith and George gave Tamara and Rhys. The judges questioned the boys’ choice in furniture but absolutely loved their timber ceiling detail.
Bathroom
The crown jewel in the boys’ renovation had to be their bathroom. “This is something special,” Saul commented on George and Laith’s well-lit executive style bathroom.
bed 2 before
Tamara and Rhys’ second bedroom was less than inviting for potential house guests.
bed 2
Tanya and Dave managed to win the judges over in their bedroom with their asymmetrical timber feature wall and jewel toned finishings.
entry
While the judges loved Tanya and Dave’s bespoke hallway table, and the geometric pattern they had made for the opposite wall, they weren’t impressed by their colour choice. “They took all of that eroticism and painted it this flaccid elephant fart grey,” LLB commented.
gym
A labour of love for Dave, the gym’s plywood cupboard failed to meet the house rule of sleek finishes and fine lines, an unforgivable mistake in the judges’ eyes.
living
The judges questioned whether Kimmy and Rh hit the house rules. Though they loved their art work and timber wall, the judges failed to find much else to get excited about in the living room. LLB compared the room to a “supermodel with a limp.”
laundry
Tamara wasn’t sold on Kimmy and Rhi’s mismatched tiled floor, but the judges absolutely loved what the sisters pulled off in a small space, particularly when it came to their storage solutions.
master bed before
Tamara and Rhy’s master bedroom needed a lot of love and care, luckily Lenore and Bradley knew just what to do…
master bed
“I do like to be wowed,” Kyly exclaimed as she entered Lenore and Bradley’s freshly renovated master bedroom, to which Saul agreed. The feature wall doubling as a bed head was a statement piece that won over all three judges.
ensuite
Lenore and Bradley’s bathroom divided the judging panel; LLB compared their innovative design to “the work of international professionals” while Saul struggled with “clashing” elements.
kitchen before
While Tamra and Rhys’ kitchen was the newest part of their home, it still needed work. And, it wouldn’t compare to the finished product Kayne and Aimee pulled off.
study
The study got a “wow” from judges, but for all the wrong reasons.
The viper, as the blue velvet occasional chair was dubbed “too extreme” for the judges’ taste which they called a “space gobbling scorpion chair.”
hall
Kayne and Aimee took the minimalism brief a step too far with their hallway. There was little in the room other than the marble hallway. While LLB liked the bold move, Kyly and Saul thought it would date quickly.
kitchen
Kayne and Aimee managed to redeem themselves with their “sophisticated” kitchen tickling all the house rules.
